What is mutation?

Sometimes, gene instructions are damaged or not copied very well from parents to offspring. This change is called mutation. Some changes are too small to be noticed. Others may be huge ones. This is when evolution works in 'sudden jumps'. The person who came up with this idea was a Dutch botanist named Hugo de Vries, who lived in the 1800's.

Are there unknown dangers of cloning humans?

Cloning is a new technology. People say that scientists shouldn't rush ahead too fast, especially with humans. We have many things to find out. For example, no one knows how the aging process works. There are many other questions, but cloning humans should be best carried out with great care.

Where do some organs come from?

Transplants are very common nowadays. In 1996, 20,000 operations were carried out in the U.S. Some spare organs are given out by living donors. Most transplant organs come from car accidents, when the organs are not damaged. Some people carry a donor card . This document gives permission for the cardholder's organs to be donated to someone after death. There is a organ trade in India. This is where about 2,000 people per year sell one of their kidneys for money! But, another way of getting organs is using organs from other human-related animals, like pigs, because they are similar to human organs. This area of sceience is called xenotransplantation. As a result, cloning pigs is important for future transplants.

Can genes cure diseases?

There are 5000 or more types of single gene disorders. Cystic fibrosis is a passed on lung disease that kills most people before their 30th anniversary. The gene that causes this illness was found in 1989. Four years later in 1993, a possible cure was tested, with good genes breathed in through a nose spray. The results were good so research on this topic continues.

What is going on with genetic farming?

Food companies that are interested in GMO (genetically modified organisms) spend a large amount of money to advertise that genetic farming is safe. Although there are other companies that don't like GMOs, they do not spend as much. They just protest by being part of demonstrations and meetings. Ireland protesters uproot GMO test crops while Germans prevent the planting of genetically changed sugar beets. In England, a group of GMO detesters go inside supermarkets and mark packages of GMO with a big X.